Recent Devotions
“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12, ESV) Quiz: Who were Shiphrah and Puah? If you don’t know the answer, don’t feel bad. I didn’t remember their names either. I suppose some would consider them “minor” Bible characters, but these two women exhibited some major integrity. They were the Hebrew midwives who bravely ignored Pharaoh’s instructions to murder any male child born to an Israelite (Exodus 1). The two women would not go…
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:23-24, ESV) Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary, the mother of Jesus. Five diverse women, but one thread holds them…
“It wasn’t supposed to end like this,” she thought as she made a place for her dying son to rest before the inevitable happened. Her mind wandered to the first time she’d visited this wilderness. Afraid and alone, she’d been carrying the child of another woman’s husband. Life wasn’t what…
Readers Loved
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you . . . Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-44, 48, NKJV) When Jesus gave what we refer to as the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), He packed a lot into that one discourse. We are familiar with the Beatitudes, but Jesus talked about so…
James 1:22 NLT “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” I have two young children, so speaking to them and not truly being heard is a frequent occurrence in my home. They are busy, active children who have their minds set on their current task and anything beyond that is unimportant. Usually I have to really fight for their attention, just to be sure that they have indeed heard the words I spoke. To be quite honest, sometimes I’m guilty of doing the exact same thing. I can…
“By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?” Psalm 137:1-4 Missing the life that they were used to in Israel, a group of exiles left the city of Babylon and found a shady spot by the river, to lament their lot…
“And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God:……..Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest;…………..He shall build an house for my name.” I Chronicles 22:7-10 David felt he had been greatly blessed by God, and he desired to build a great building wherein the ark of God would dwell and where God could meet with His people. He started gathering materials suitable for such an undertaking. But God spoke to him and told him…
